El Exorcismo

What a tremendous disappointment! I just wanted to enjoy a creepy, atmospheric horror film but this one is so tedious I had to wrap up watching after 1 hour because I almost fell asleep. I know the director's earlier works and he always seemed talented, well, not anymore. If a horror movie is boring as hell, I think that's unforgivable. If I can give you an advice, just skip this garbage.

I love Smith's other 6 features, but this one....not so much. It is a slow burn, and that I have no problem with. Trouble is, it really doesn't go anywhere. The cast tries, but the script is lacking on multiple fronts. It doesn't help that Smith's trademark pitch black humor - which somehow even showed up in moments of Black Death - is totally absent here. It almost seems like he knew this was hopeless and put in minimal effort. If not for seeing "Directed by Christopher Smith" in the credits, it could have been made by literally anyone. Very disappointing to see a director with so much ability just phoning it in. Hopefully this is just an aberration.

A vicar and his wife and her child are sent to a failing parish, but the vicarage holds a ghastly secret.

Decent performances, the standout being the occultist, who has a certain look and intensity that suited the part - although I had trouble catching some of his lines. Otherwise, the sound design is good, with effective music, and the cinematography makes the most of an old location and does justice to the director's flair for mirror trickery and surreal images.

But the screenplay is an absolute mess. This is supposed to be a story of righting a historical wrong, of laying a ghost to rest - think Ringu for pure simplicity with clever story telling ... and then run a mile from this. It's burdened with a preposterous fascist subplot, but also has the cheek to open with a scene that is never integrated into the main plot yet is far more gruesome than anything that comes after, then intrigues with a tango scene - again, pointless - before stabbing away at some blaaah about illegitimate child bearing, before resolving on a completely under-powered encounter at the end. All sorts of themes are tossed in, with an unserious take on religion, resulting in a lack of drive or coherence. Because of this, nothing can really work, and the whole thing is drained of frights.

How do actors, and the director and cinematographer, find the will to go on with this kind of material? Beats me.

I really tried to get into this movie but it was slow and the characters were not memorable at all. So for me this movie would not be one I recommend to anyone I know. Although kudos to them on really catching the essence of the 30's.

There is a lot to enjoy in this somewhat by-the-numbers haunted house movie. Sean Harris gives it everything to almost comic effect and Jessica Brown Findlay is very good. True, there's nothing new to see here and it drags a touch but it's certainly more engaging than many recent mid-budget ghost films.